5 comments about John Wesley: A Biography.

1. This is not the type of Christian biography I generally care for. The facts are all there (I hope), but the author's psycho-analytical comments on Wesley's relationships with women and subtle (and often not-so-subtle) mocking of John Wesley's characteristics, beliefs, choices and friends served to undermine the historical narrative rather than to support it. I hesitated in giving this book a 3-star rating, because it is (sadly) the best biography currently available on John Wesley. To that end, if you are primarily interested in his life and the origins of the Methodist church, then you could consider this a 4 1/2-star book instead. However, if you are interested in Christian biography for the sake of strengthening both your understanding and your spiritual fervor, this may not be the book for you. I'd like to comment briefly on the distinctive areas that comprise (in my opinion) a good Christian biography.
   
   1) Historical Accuracy: As far as I can tell, the book sticks to the facts fairly well. If you have read Dallimore's biography of George Whitefield, you will notice that Tomkins' treatment of figures other than Wesley himself is somewhat lacking, but it is not the facts that cause the lack in this book. History-buffs will find what they are looking for here as long as they can distinguish between 21st century commentary and the true historical account. If anything, no one could accuse this biographer of candy-coating Wesley's life.
   
   2) Spiritual Character Development: Do we get to see into Wesley's heart and glimpse the passion for God that drove him forward? At times you almost feel like the writer has accomplished this, but he quickly follows it up with discouraging, mildly-sarcastic statements that tear that feeling away from you. This is particularly true in his insistence on contrasting Wesley's characteristics in early, mid and late life.
   The most disturbing point for me was in the discussion of Wesley's later life. A rather depressive segment from a letter written to his brother Charles is quoted and taken as formative for Wesley's outlook through his entire life. Any student of Christian history knows that most (but not all) great evangelists suffer from some form of depression. Luther, Spurgeon, Lloyd-Jones, etc.--all of these men suffered at times from depressed spirits as a result of the great labor they put forth in declaring the word of God. At this point the author makes you feel as though everything he's reported about Wesley's great evangelistic success and powerful preaching has been a fraud. Overall a very disappointing portion of the book.
   
   3) Theology: The author brings out Wesley's theology and its development with some degree of accuracy. I get the distinct feeling, however, that the lack of flow between Wesley's earlier convictions and later convictions was due to the authors own lack of theological understanding (or perhaps conviction is a better word). He perpetually seems to be condemning Wesley's doctrine of Christian Perfection and at one point agrees with the conclusion that salvation is by faith AND works while deriding Wesley's views on the matter.
   
   4) The Author: I guess, when it comes down to it, this is really where the book falls short. Tomkins doesn't seem to have a firm grasp on Christian theology, much less Wesley's theology. He takes great delight in applying Freudian psycho-analysis to Wesley's varied female relationships, seems overly skeptical of Wesley's conversion, comments sarcastically on many of Wesley's decisions and repeatedly suggests (according to human wisdom and modern psychology) how Wesley might have better managed his life and doctrine.
   
   Only in the chapter on his death and heritage is Wesley given much credit at all. I would recommend this book to history-minded persons, but could not in good conscience recommend it to sincere evangelicals (particularly those of the Calvinist persuasion). John Wesley is more muddled in my mind after reading this book than he was before. I only hope the truth lies other than where Tomkins would allow it to rest.



2. If you need to learn about John Wesley but only have a little time to spare, then this is the biography to read! It is accurate and full of pleasant insights into this great and unforgettable Christian leader. I was only sorry that it wasn't a little longer because the author writes so beautifully!



3. I real eye opener to his personal development and relationships. A person heavy on character! Even for people familiar with the Methodist faith, there are surprises in store in the way he led his life.



4. Wesley as presented seemed two dimensional. I had a hard time 'getting traction' with this work, even though the volume is short and re-reading some or all of it would take little time.



5. This is an insightful, informative and consise Biography of a true man of God. John Wesley's life was one of hardship, suffering, and abstenance in his quest for perfection in God's eyes. Whether or not you agree with any or all of the fundamentals of Methodism, this book is well worth reading. The author gives equal attention to Wesley's Methodist cause, and the personal side of this oft times unsure and doubting soul.

1 comments about Freedom's Prophet: Bishop Richard Allen, the AME Church, and the Black Founding Fathers.

1. Who was Richard Allen? Among other things, he was the founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, first black author to be granted federal copyright and spiritual leader of early black America.
   
   Richard Newman has delivered a compelling account of Allen's ascension to leadership, his symbolic representation of black religion and his personal sacrifice to the cause of justice. Through humanizing anecdote, well crafted prose and lucid analysis, this book has succeeded in its goals:
   
   1.) The story keeps coming back to the meaning of black leadership through the lens of Richard Allen's work. "Black prophetic leadership has historically critiqued American glorification in favor of a broader vision of national salvation." (Newman, 297) With this in mind, Newman observes that Allen uses his faith, the print press, and access to power in the nations capital to achieve his goals--or more specifically God's goals. Newman takes care to avoid reducing Allen's faith to ideology. The suggestion that Allen inaugurates a tradition of abolitionism in the media is quite powerful adding layers to Allen's image as a black founding father.
   
   2.) Allen is something of an untarnished historical figure. Newman makes it clear that many found Allen to be overbearing, and annoyingly persistent as an individual. Not to mitigate his historical importance, but to shed light on personal characteristics.
   
   3.) Newman's treatment of the 1793 Yellow Fever Epidemic with respect to Richard Allen's leadership is a brilliant description of an understudied and underappreciated, but defining moment in American history.

2 comments about Devotional Life in the Wesleyan Tradition: A Workbook (Pathways in Spiritual Growth-Resources for Congregations and Leadership).

1. I am pleased to learn more about the Methodist's background. It will aide me in gathering other believers to strengthen our lives; to nurture and continue the discipline we must have to become mature in the Spirit.



2. When I order this book from Amazon, there was no indication that it was in Korean. So it was in for quite a suprise when the 10 books that I order arrived. But the good news is that Amazon has updated their web page to reflect this. I of course returned the books, and ordered the English version from another vendor.

2 comments about United Methodist Questions, United Methodist Answers: Exploring Christian Faith.

1. Joyner hits a homerun again with this Question and Answer style book from a United Methodist perspective. This is a well-balanced, thoughtful, yet very practical exposition of United Methodist beliefs and practices. I have given several of these to churches and individuals who need to be reminded of our United Methodist roots and ethos. A great study book or a primer for Pastor/Parish Relations Committees and church boards.
   
   Gary E. Holdeman, District Superintendent
   Enid District, Oklahoma Conference,
   The United Methodist Church



2. United Methodist Questions, United Methodist Answers
   Very rewarding as I reviewed the questions, then read Bible references, and Answers made clearer. You may skip around and go where your interest leads you.

No comments about If God Has a Refrigerator, Your Picture Is on It.

2 comments about The Faith We Sing: Pew - Cross & Flame Edition (Faith We Sing).

1. I do think this little book picks up some of the contemporary songs and adds a quality to some of the old ones that make it worthwhile to purchase. I bought it cheaper here that through the Cokesbury sale!



2. I play for a local Methodist Church and we use this and the Hymnal. The Pew Edition has words and melody, but no chord symbols - but the songs take less pages than in the Accompianment Edition. The songs, like in the UMC hymnal, are organized by topic - they seem a good selection of 80's-90's praise music, with some older hymns and such thrown in.
   
   Instrumentalists might want to check out the Simplified Version - it's spiral bound with vocals, chords and accompianment for keyboard players...the Accompianment Edition is too big to fit inside the piano bench.
   
   The Faith We Sing: Simplified (Faith We Sing)

4 comments about The Faith We Sing: Singers (Faith We Sing).

1. This version of TFWS is good for instrumentalists and singers - the music has melody/lyrics, chord symbols, and keyboard parts, similar to the more expensive Accompianment Edition. The songs, like in the UMC hymnal, are organized by topic - they seem a good selection of 80's-90's praise music, with some older hymns and such thrown in.



2. "The Faith We Sing" is an excellent worship resource for today's church. It contains a variety of Christians songs, new and old from around the world. I would highly recommend it for anyone who wants to enrich the worship life of their church.



3. Our church has the pew editions in the pews (of course). Here at home, I have 1 copy of the accompaniment edition, and just now 1 copy of the singers edition. For a lot of the songs, a person could just use the singers edition for the person playing accompaniment. Both the top and bottom hands are in most of the songs in the singers book. There are some selections that have only the top hand in the singers edition. If a person wasn't to picky, the singers edition would work for the accompanist, but if you want to make sure you have everything, make sure to get the accompainment edition if you are the accompainist.
   
   The Singers edition is great!!! It is spirial bound and easy to flip through for singers. Like I said, most of the songs have both top and both hands for each song. The dimension size of the singers edition is bigger than the pew books, but smaller than the accompaniment edition.
   
   Overall, is you are wanting to get books for your choir, don't just use pew books, get your choir the singers books, it will be well worth the money so that not just the soprano have their part, but the alto, tenor and base have their parts too!!!



4. Great selection of contemporary and older Christian hymns and songs which supplement the hymnals of United Methodist and other churches.

1 comments about The End Of The Straight And Narrow.

1. Many of our better collections of short stories have more in common with poetry than they do with the novel. They do a dazzling dance with language, and leave the reader pierced with a single knife.
   
   For all the pleasure those kinds of story collections offer, they sometimes leave the reader unsatisfied on grounds of plot or characterization or long-term resonance. Few writers dare step into this breach and offer up stories that aspire to contain within them the whole broad world and leave in their wake (and their white space) the novel they've managed to breathe in the space of a story. Toward these ends, the writer must walk a fine line: On the one hand, the writer must waste no words, and on the other, the writer must bravely avoid making anything minimal.
   
   The list of those who have accomplished this feat is small and formidable: Alice Munro, Edward P. Jones, Edwidge Danticat, Eudora Welty, and John Cheever make the short list. To their ranks (I'm very, very pleased to have discovered), the lucky reader might add the name of David McGlynn, and his beautiful, moving, possibly earth-shattering book The End of the Straight and Narrow, a book that dares take on a much-maligned segment of middle America, render it full and true, and in the process show us something not only about the smallish world his characters inhabit, but also, by a skill I can hardly believe possible in a writer so young, show us a thing (or twenty) about what it means to be a human being living among other human beings.
   
   SMU Press has done readers a favor, and I hope the marketplace will do its part to spread the word, because The End of the Straight and Narrow is a book that deserves a large and attentive audience, and rewards multiple readings. It sits proudly on my shelf alongside the books I plan to keep and revisit again and again.

5 comments about TOUCH: Pressing Against the Wounds of a Broken World.

1. This warm, wonderful, down-to-earth book has something for everyone. Pastor Rasmus is not just a born storyteller but a true philosopher who will make you think differently about every aspect of your life. Reading his words is like sitting down with an old friend and having a deep, enlightening conversation.



2. Rudy has done an outstanding job of bringing to life the ministry of Christ in the hard places. His approach is authentic and inspiring with visions of hope for the world. It's definitely not only worthwhile reading, but offers transformation for all those willing to do the gospel of Jesus Christ in a hurting world.
   Rev. Dr. W. Earl Bledsoe



3. My husband and I were members at Pastor Rudy's church for three years. What you read about in the book is just what you experience at St. John's. We experienced a wonderful healing in our lives as we were accepted into the faith community and loved unconditionally. This book will make you think about how you deal with others, as well as validate your own desires for unconditional love and acceptance. God truly is in the business of transforming lives. Pastor Rudy is certainly part on staff in God's workshop!



4. Have you ever thought to yourself "how can I help someone?" Touch is a practical guide assessing a persons ability to understand that "you really have the LOVE factor to affect and infect another persons life." By simply not being afraid to embrace and "touch" a person, this book embodies spiritual, as well as scientific proof (read the testimonies in the book) that the greatest single emotion that humans experience is to touch one another. It was proven long ago that children thrive by a physical "touch" (i.e. hugs and kisses), but Pastor Rudy expresses that this "touching" does something else for a persons soul as an adult. IT GIVES THEM HOPE!



5. Pastor Rudy's account of his ministry style reminds readers of the hands-on approach that I believe Christ intended. He provokes one to think twice about judging those who don't look, smell or behave the way "church folks" should. "Touch" is the answer to WWJD!

5 comments about United Methodist Hymnal Book of United Methodist Worship: Pew Bright Red.

1. I used the hymnal often in my sunday school class as a source of prayers to share in unison reading. Since we weren't singers we also read the text of hymns. The variety of sources in one volume was very useful. My class was elderly women and none objected to the new Hymnal. Despite its inclusion of "new" material I don't feel it will outdate as quickly as many of the faddish hymnals of the 70's



2. This is one of the best hymnals available, if you can get past the inclusive language. Its wide range of selections and worship resources will appeal to all Christians.



3. This hymnal contains roughly 679 hymns proper, organized theologically rather then by season (there is a section called "Particular Times of Worship" for seasonal hymns and carols). They include old favorites like "O, For A Thousand Tongues To Sing", and newer songs like "Come Sunday", and translations of patristic and medieval hymns. Collects, canticles, and bits of sacred poetry are scattered throughout the hymnal alongside hymns expressing similar sentiments- the Psalter contains only the Psalms.

   In addition, the Hymmnal contains the United Methodist liturgies for the usual morning service, Baptism, Communion(with musical settings), marriages, and funerals. There are also orders for weekday Morning and Evening Prayer and Praise, which is as far as I know unprecedented in Methodism.

   One slight deficiency- the UM Hymnal contains no church calendar or lectionary at all. This is unfortunate, especially as the Hymnal is otherwise so complete.




4. This is easily one of the best hymnals that I own. It has a few attributes that make it such a solid book:
   
   1) It is extremely comprehensive, containing the "old standards" (such as "Praise to the Lord"), newer hymns and songs (like "Let There Be Peace on Earth"), ecumenical hymns, and even Taize chants (such as "Eat This Bread" and, I believe, "Jesus, Remember Me")!
   2) The service outlines in the front are unparalleled. They go into incredible detail about the elements of the service, going so far as to including multiple service music selections.
   3) The layout is aesthetically pleasing. It's very hard to pinpoint exactly why the pages are so nice to look at, but the layout and print really come together.
   
   If you are a musician or parishoner of any denomination, this book is a must.



5. Rather than taking a copy of the Church hymnal home for my own use, I decided to buy a copy. The order was quick and the quality was fresh and new. I am very pleased with the service.